Category Archives: short stories

I did a dumb thing. In the grand scheme of things it’s not that big of a deal, but I’m still sighing about it.

One of my resolutions* for this year was to get more rejection letters. I say this, because even though I’d much rather get acceptance letters, I tend to prepare myself for the worst. If I try and get accepted then Yay me! If I try and get rejected, then I’m succeeding at my resolution! Yay me!

I don’t care if the glass is half-full or half-empty, but I’d like to know if the liquid inside is poison.

My brain is a very strange little thing, and it comes up with weird ideas all the time. Some ideas are half-formed and need to be thought about before they become something I can actually work with. Some are fully-formed scenes that merely need a story. Some are just an object or one sentence.

I don’t think there’s a wrong way to come up with ideas. There are probably a vast many different ways that a person can be inspired – and what inspires me might not inspire someone else.

Twenty-One short stories written by an eclectic mix of some of the best fantasy authors in Atlantic Canada, some of them award-winning veterans of their field and some of them new to the craft! Edited by Erin Vance and veteran science-fiction author Ellen Louise Curtis, this collection features the heartfelt, creatively charged, astonishing fiction that showcases the talent and charm Atlantic Canada has to offer. Featuring the work of Nick Morine, Christopher Walsh, Shannon Green, Heather Reilly, Ali House, Amanda Labonté, Paul Carberry & many more!

Related Titles

Reviews

“It’s like listening to the masters telling stories by the campfire. It’s magical, entertaining, and didactic. I highly recommend it.”
Sambath Meas
author of The Governor’s Daughter

“A wonderful testing ground for new authors. Not only do we get to see what stories work, but readers get an easily accessible venue to see what authors they enjoy following and might enjoy following in the future. The work of all three authors was fantastical and imaginative, each in their own special way.”
Matthew LeDrew
author of Black Womb and Infinity

“I cannot deny the gripping dialogue and subtle foreshadowing in The Gold and Steel Saga.”
Jonathan Mallard,
Life After Death Society

“Fantasy had its beginnings in mythology and, by extension, religion. In addition to faith, though, fantasy also challenges belief. This collection is very much in tune with both of these sides of fantasy. Social order, tradition, the world and our place in it, humanity, daily life, even the nature of stories — beliefs about all of these are challenged in Fantasy from the Rock. So celebrate the fairies and other miracles you find in its pages, but look for the challenges and reversals. It’s enlightening, and a great deal of fun”
— Matthew Daniels,
author of Healer’s Hoards and Living and Learning.

Returning to the From the Rock team is the incredibly talented Matthew Daniels, whose story Healer’s Hoards was one of the many fantasy entries in last year’s Sci-Fi from the Rock that inspired this year’s volume and alerted Engen Books to the talent for fantasy writing in this province!

“The treatment of the classic “dragon with a horde” is cool, and I enjoyed the writing style thoroughly. I hope to read more by Mr. Daniels in the future.” — Sam Bauer, author of ‘The Locket.’

That’s right, only 17 days left before the submissions for Fantasy from the Rock close on December 31, 2016! We already look to have twelve amazing new authors, some new, some established, and some award winning on board, with formal announcements to come once the deadline is closed. You’ve still got time to be a part of this great new collection!

After the colossal success of Sci-Fi from the Rock this past 10th Anniversary weekend, Engen Books has decided to continue the line with Fantasy from the Rock, to be available in Spring 2017 at the eleventh annual Sci-Fi on the Rock convention.

“The response from fans was enormous and overwhelming,” said Engen founder Matthew LeDrew. “We we able to publish a number of first-time authors alongside established pillars in the Newfoundland science-fiction community like Kenneth Tam and Scott Bartlett, of Iceberg Publishing and Mirth Publishing, respectfully. Engen Books has always been a fan of placing new talent alongside established talent, giving those new voices a chance to shine in a way they may have have otherwise.”

While the inaugural volume was titled Sci-Fi from the Rock, it in fact told PG-rated stories from the fantasy, science-fiction, and thriller genres. This new collection will focus more heavily on genre-specific stories, with each successive volume then showcasing different talent within the Canadian writing scene.

Editors Ellen Curtis and Erin Vance are scheduled to return to helm the project.

As Fierce as Steel author Christopher Walsh will be returning his fantasy series, The Gold and Steel Saga to the collection. “My short story, In Defense of Our Home, will take readers back over eight centuries before the events of As Fierce as Steel to a historical era of great upheaval in Illiastra. The events unfolding in the story surround that of the dwarves of the ancient city of Dhalla, through the eyes of a warrior known as Axel the Goldenhair. He and his closest allies stand at the gates of their city, awaiting the arrival of a terrifying foe that has promised to wipe the dwarves from existence.

Other, award-winning authors have expressed interest, but anyone can submit to be a part of this Spring 2017 collection! Deadline is December 31, 2016 but get your stories in as quick as you can, as it gives our wonderful editors more time to work with you and make sure it is as good as it can possibly be!

There are 24 hours left to submit your short story to the Sci-Fi from the Rock anthology title, scheduled for release in cooperation with Sci-Fi on the Rock on April 1, 2016. Sci-Fi on the Rock will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in St. John’s. Deadline for entry to the anthology is tomorrow, December 31, 2015.

Do you have a story to tell? We think everyone does!! This year is Sci-Fi on the Rock’s 10th anniversary, and we want to ring it in in style with a new anthology celebrating the convention’s decade of celebrating science-fiction and fantasy in our region…but Sci-Fi on the Rock isn’t just made possible by its staff and guests: it’s made possible by you! So until midnight tomorrow, Engen Books will be accepting final submissions for publication in the 10th anniversary Sci-Fi From the Rock anthology from anyone who attends the convention or wants to help celebrate its ten-year history!

Send all entries to submissions@engenbooks.com by 11:59 PM NST December 31st, 2015, with the following information: Your name, the title of your story, the genre of your story, and the length. Please note: a reliable e-mail address is required so that all applicants can be contacted following the December 31st deadline.

For this anthology, applicants are asked to submit stories suitable for the equivalent of a PG or PG-13 rating. This is in the interest of creating an anthology that, like Sci-Fi on the Rock, can be enjoyed by fans of all ages. Applicants wishing to submit material outside of this range may do so only for consideration in future publications.